Thursday, May 29, 2008

In an attempt to obtain valuable statistics that would document the trend of police shooting an inordinate number of Black and Hispanic New York City residents, the City Council's Public Safety Committee hit a "blue-brick wall." Although The Freedom of Information Act, gives anyone the right to peruse any documentation that the NYPD would have compiled on such a serious life-and-death issue, police officials have found a cheeky and insulting way of refusing to provide this type of data.

The Firearms Discharge Report that the NYPD turned over to the committee insultingly contained minute details regarding police shootings involving dogs; but were lacking vital information when it came to revealing shootings involving police and African Americans & Latinos.

According to the Village Voice, Deputy Chief John Gerrish's explanation for the shoddy statistics was as follows: "Providing statistics on the age, race, and gender of each officer involved in a shooting as well as for the people who were shot is a waste of the NYPD's time and resources; because no meaningful conclusions may be drawn from such information."

The implications of such a statement coupled with the NYPD meticulously keeping records on what breed of dog was confronted with NYPD bullets, sends a clear message that maybe these people are more qualified to be on dog patrol than they are to "protect & serve" human beings.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

"The Roots of Violence:Wealth without work,Pleasure without conscience,Knowledge without character,Commerce without morality,Science without humanity,Worship without sacrifice,Politics without principles." - Mohandas Gandhi

Friday, May 23, 2008

WORDS TO LIVE BY:"It is the fool whose own tomatoes are sold to him." - Akan Proverb

"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived; but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." -Maya Angelou

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." -Anne Frank

The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.

The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.

As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.

The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.

The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”

BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:

Option #1: Spend $0 on FridayOption #2: Spend no more than $10 on FridayOption #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].

To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.

ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.

A beggar had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. 'Spare some change?' mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. 'I have nothing to give you,' said the stranger. Then he asked: 'What's that you are sitting on?' 'Nothing,' replied the beggar. 'Just an old box. I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.' 'Ever look inside?' asked the stranger. 'No,' said the beggar. 'What's the point?' There's nothing in there.' 'Have a look inside,' insisted the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.

I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and who is telling you to look inside. Not inside any box, as in the parable, but somewhere even closer: inside yourself."

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The 3 police officers who are responsible for the 50-shot slaying of New York native Sean Bell are currently active NYPD officers on "modified duty." Yesterday, The Daily News reported that Officers Cooper, Isnora, and Oliver were hit with disciplinary charges from their employer. The NYPD officers were each "accused of firing their weapons outside of NYPD departmental guidelines (charges that could result in their being fired)."

These insubordination-like charges were filed approximately a year and a half after the incident that provoked them occurred. This brings a new meaning to the term "the slow wheels of justice" (if you can call departmental disciplinary charges "justice," when there is an unjust and inexplicable lost of life). [SIDEBAR #1: The NYPD brought these administration charges at this particular time because the statue of limitations for them to do so is about to run out in a few days. Most likely, filing these charges may protect the city and the department in any future lawsuits. In a court of law, such paperwork makes them look less guilty of standing idly by. SMH @ all the reluctant, fake olive branches full of thorns.]

[SIDEBAR Part Deux: The unemployment line and more than a few prisons are cluttered with people who have done a lot less! This is not just about "punishment" for the officers involved. New departmental guidelines and training should also be implemented. There are no deterrents in place to prevent this type of situation from consistently occurring.]

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I really like Roseanne Barr!...Bill Maher...Eehhh, not so much. However, it's a good interview nonetheless. Anyone else concur that the minimum wage is way too minimal? I've been saying this for a minute now. It's definitely on my list for future blog topics.

Monday, May 19, 2008

What's beef? Beef is when the beef industry tried to shut Oprah down over A decade ago for allegedly making disparaging comments about their product, yet they are consistently recalling meat.In the late 90s, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, was dragged through the Texas Court system by beef industry money makers. A conglomerate of cattlemen sued Ms. Winfrey claiming that statements she made on her show adversely affected the sales of their product.

After an advocate for vegetarianism appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and detailed the feeding habits of livestock before they are packaged and sold to the public, Ms. Winfrey stated that her guest's remarks: "just stopped me cold from eating another burger." The fear of digesting diseased meat products rippled through the audience during the discussion. The result of this dialog on beef was a tedious, months-long lawsuit of a group of cattle ranchers vs. Ms. Winfrey and her beef-shy guest.

During the lengthy trial, Oprah had to go through the expense of relocating her show's production to Texas. This made it feasible for her to do double duty as a defendant and a talk show maven.

Fast forward to 2008. More people are now learning the advantages of shunning beef and embracing more leafy and "natural" foods. Several recalls of contaminated beef is contributing to this dietary change.

Just yesterday, CNN reported that: " A Chicago-based company is recalling beef products distributed in 11 states because of possible E. coli contamination." Situations like this prove that Oprah's decade-old talk show topic and discussion is still relevant. Also, her revelation about beef was on target. I concur; I've also been "stopped cold from eating another burger."

Friday, May 16, 2008

BOOK EXCERPT OF THE WEEK: From, "Seventh Child: A Family Memoir Of Malcolm X" By: Rodnell P. Collins"Malcolm was led to his position by his vast knowledge of Black history in the United States. He constantly reminded us that the highly praised U.S. Constitution not only did not recognize human rights of Black people; it did not even acknowledge our ancestors as full human beings. To placate southern enslavers concerned about their representation in the House of Representatives, the "freedom loving" Christian founding fathers decided that each African would be counted as three-fifths of a person. Is there any other written constitution in world history that described some of its residents as three-fifths of a person? 'With that as a beginning,' said Ma, 'it's no wonder that the federal government for over two hundred years had no qualms about failing to protect the human rights of our people. To make a strong case at the United Nations, all Malcolm had to do was cite the three-fifths in the Constitution and list all the documented occasions, from enslavement to lynchings to Jim Crow laws, that the federal government failed to protect our human rights. There was no need to distort or magnify that history.'

Traditional civil-rights leaders knew that history as well as Malcolm did. 'However, they also knew the history of what happened to Black leaders who spoke forcefully on foreign affairs,' said Ma. 'Marcus Garvey, whose slogan, 'Africa for Africans,' deeply disturbed the colonialists, was jailed, then deported; Paul Robeson was flagrantly harassed and denied a passport for travel; W.E.B. Du Bois, who attended most of the early Pan-African conferences, was flagrantly harassed and also denied traveling rights. He eventually decided to live permanently in Ghana. Later, five years after Malcolm was assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated when he spoke the truth about the Vietnam War.'"

In honor of Malcolm X, I will be posting nothing but Malcolm X posts for the week leading up to his birthday. Regular news postings will resume next week, on May 19th. New features (in terms of blog topics), will also be unveiled on that day.

SIDEBAR: In addition to celebrating the birth of one of the greatest human beings to ever walk the earth, this is also buying me some time to finish a VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT that I am working on (Yes, this project involves you; and yes, I will be revealing the details soon). Therefore, I'm saving a little time from researching and writing blog articles, so I can apply some hours to this necessary upcoming project. This strategy is a win-win because Malcolm's words are still extremely relevant (Lots of love always.

Friday, May 9, 2008

"Usually the future is a replica of the past. Superficial changes are possible, but real transformation is rare and depends upon whether you can become present enough to dissolve the past by accessing the power of now. What you perceive as future is an intrinsic part of your state of consciousness now. If your mind carries a heavy burden of past, you will experience more of the same. The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future- which of course, can only be experienced as the now.

You may win ten million dollars, but that kind of change is no more than skin deep. You would simply continue to act out the same conditioned patterns in more luxurious surroundings. Humans have learned to split the atom. Instead of killing ten or twenty people with a wooden club, one person can now kill a million just by pushing a button. Is that real change?

If it is the quality of your consciousness at this moment that determines the future, then what is it that determines the quality of your consciousness? Your degree of presence. So the only place where true change can occur and where the past can be dissolved is the now."

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

A Philadelphia news camera recorded a vicious beating of 3 men by the Philadelphia Police Department. The approximately 13 minute recording (when viewed in its entirety), was taken via the vantage point of a helicopter. The video clearly shows multiple officers, beating and kicking 3 defenseless men. The PD says that the 3 men are suspects in a shooting. However, reporters are stating that the mens' involvement in a crime prior to the beating is currently unclear and unsubstantiated. Also, there is no justification for this kind of unprofessional excessive use of force.

Neighborhood residents in the area in which this incident took place, have noted that they have felt under siege since an officer was murdered in the city a couple of days ago. While the residents send their condolences to the loved ones of the slain officer, they feel that members of their community have been unjustly targeted by the police since the officer's tragic death.

[SIDEBAR: Police misconduct nationwide is out of control. With police brutalizing citizens, raping citizen, robbing banks, and vandalizing cars; the line between those who take an oath to "protect and serve" and those who are hardened criminals is more than a little blurred. That line is getting close to invisible.]

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

"It may well be that our means are fairly limited and our possibilities restricted when it comes to applying pressure on our government. But is this a reason to do nothing? Despair is not an answer. Neither is resignation. Resignation only leads to indifference, which is not merely a sin but a punishment." -Elie Wiesel

Friday, May 2, 2008

I'm saddened to report that racism is alive and sickeningly healthy. In the wake of the unjust- but not surprising- Sean Bell verdict, news outlets around the world have been reporting on the community's reaction.

I have been reading a lot of the online articles, and accompanying comments, regarding the Sean Bell travesty. My exploration of the comments sections of some of the New York based news websites has left me disappointed. I am disappointed by the insensitivity and callousness of the biting and cruel online remarks.

I would like to think that statements that label civic-minded protesters as: "nonproductive deadbeats...welfare recipients...thugs...and unemployed Black men and women with 10 different children all by different mothers and fathers," represent the mindset of an ignorant few. However, the comments sections of the New York Daily News website has been flooded with such taunts and defamation of character-like declarations.

Despite the overwhelming negative online postings, I still reserve a modicum of hope that society is not so far gone that people of any race or culture can not empathize with an unjust and unnecessary lost of life.

To My People: May we continue to live with strength & love in our hearts. May we also PROACTIVELY continue to change this world for the better. Lots of love to everybody. R.I.P. to Sean Bell and all of the others who lost their lives as victims to this racist society.

"But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?" -Robert F. Kennedy

About Me

BLOG DISCLAIMER:

The advice and information provided here (legal and otherwise) is NOT given by a licensed professional. It is provided by a rapper who is a concerned citizen. Please consult a licensed professional concerning any and all matters that warrant that you do so.

The purpose of the Legal Eagles Blog is to inform others, and provoke thought & positive change.

Please always remeber: What you don't know can kill you, literally and figuratively.